Vending machine



March 21, 1933 c. w. BLOSSOM ET AL 1,902,612

- VENDING MACHINE Filed May'51, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS March21, 1933.

c. w. BLOSSOM :15 AL VENDING MACHINE s Sheets-Sheet Fi led May 51, 1930Q Inventors March 21, 1933. c. w. BLOSSOM ET AL 1,902,612

' VENDING MACHINE Filed May 51, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Mar. 21,1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CARL W. BLOSSOM, OF CLEVELAND, ANDWILLIAM H. STAPLES, OF CLEVELAND HEIGHTS,

OHIO

' VENDING MACHINE Application filed Hay 81,

This invention relates to a vending apparatus, and particularly to avending apparatus adapted to dispense bottled beverages or other bottledliquids.

An object of the invention is to provide a vending apparatus such thatupon the insertion of the proper coin or token in the slot provided inthe apparatus for that purpose, the contents of a; bottle of liquid ispoured automatically into a suitable 'container positioned in aconvenient place to be taken by the customer.

Another object is to provide a vending apparatus such that upon theinsertion of the proper coin or token, a bottle is withdrawnautomatically from a chilled bottle chamber, decapped,and the contentsthereof poured into a suitable container, such as for example, a papercup, after which the emptied bottle is deposited in a suitablereceptacle for that purpose.

Another object is to provide a vending apparatus that issubstantially-entirely automatic in its operation since it merelyinvolves, upon the part of the customer, the insertion of the coin ortoken and the withdrawal of the filled container. 4

Another object is to provide an apparatus of this character which issimple in construction, eilicient in operation, and which mag beeconomically manufactured and service Y Additional objects andadvantages will become apparent hereinafter'as the detailed descriptionof an embodiment of the invention proceeds.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, where- 1n Figure 1' is a transverse vertical section throughthe apparatus, the lower portion of the cabinet being omitted;

Fig: 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical section through theapparatus, certain of the parts being shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail view thereof;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view;

Fig. -5 is a fragmentary sectional View taken substantially .on line 5-5of Fig. 2, 7 looking in the direction of the. arrows, certain 1930.Serial No. 457,726.-

of the parts bein shown in side elevation;

Fig. 6 is a modi cation of the detail shown in Fig. 3. v

An apparatus of the character embodied in the invention is particularlyuseful as a means for dispensing various kinds of beverages or liquidswithout the necessity of an attendant and may be advantageously placedin such locations as theater lobbies, golf courses, stations, schoolsand various other places of a ublic or semi-public character, although,0 course, they may be placed in any other suitable place.

The apparatus is arranged in a suitable cabinet, the upper part of whichpreferably contains the cooling chamber and the bottle chamber, whilethe lower part contains the major portion of the operating mechanism,an'd'the chamber for the empty bottles.

Preferably the cabinet will be so constructed that the greater portionof the operating mechanism and the bottle chamber will be visible sothat the customer may not only see that he is obtaining the beverage asbottled by the maker, but also that he may see the interesting operationof the apparatus.

The upper part of the cabinet containing the cooling chamber and thebottle chamber is constructed so as to be thermally insulated from theatmosphere and also so that the two chambers are insulated from eachother except for the provision of a suitable opening or openingsallowing for a circulation of air between the chambers.

The cabinet is formed with a back or rear wall 10, side walls 11, andtop wall 12, all of these walls preferably being formed of metal. Theupper portion of the cabinet containing the cooling chamber and thebottle chamber is separated from the lower portion by a partition 13suitably secured in the cabinet and forming a support. for the operatingmechanism.

Within the upper portion of the cabinet, and spaced inwardly of thewalls 10 and 11 and be ow the top wall 12, is a second back or heatinsulation.

able door. Three plates 17, 18 and 19. which if desired maybe providedwith glass inserts, extend longitudinally of the apparatus at the frontthereof and are secured to the horizontal partition 13 by angle bracketsor other suitable means and to the side walls 11 and 11a of the cabinetin any suitable manner. These metallic plates support at their upperends a longitudinally extendini member having A its upper surface formedto prmide a door sill corresponding to the configuration of the strip16.

Members similar to the members 16 and 20 are arranged at the sides ofthe cabinet and extend between the members 16 and 20, with which theyform a doorway adapted to receive a removable door having a frame 21supporting three spaced glass panels 22, 23 and 24. i

A suitable sealing ring 21a is arranged between the door and its framewhereby-when the door is positioned in the frame an effective seal isprovided against the transfer of heat into or out of the cabinet. Whenthe door is removed access may be had tothe cooling chamber and to thebottle chamber for servicing the apparatus and, since the panels 22, 23and 24 are of glass, the customer can see that he is actually obtainingthe beverage as bottled by the maker.

The cooling chamber indicated genera ly at 25 is substantiallyrectangular in configuration and is formed with a top wall 26 supportedat its forward edge by the member 16 and with a rear wall 27 extendingdownwardly through the bottle chamber and secured to a securing strip28, in turn secured to the upper end of a supporting plate 29 extendingupwardly from the partition 13 forwardly of the inner wall member 14.

The sides 30 and the bottom 31 of the cooling chamber are preferablyformed of a single piece-of metal substantially U-shaped in crosssection andsecuredto the top wall 26 of the chamber by welding or in anyother suitable manner. ing chamber is open so that access may be hadthereto when the door is removed, but when the door is in position thechamber will be entirely closed and sealed, except for an aircirculating opening later to be referred to. A second U-shaped memberforming second side walls 32 and a second bottom wall 33 is secured tothe top wall 26 so as to be spaced from the walls 30 and 31 and toprovide an insulated space between the side walls 30 and 32 and thebottom walls 31 and 33 of the cooling chamber.

The front side of the cool- It should be noted that cork or othersuitable thermal insulation is arranged between the top walls 15 and 26,the rear walls 14 and 27, the side walls 30 and 32 and the bottom walls31 and 33, whereby the cooling chamber and the bottle chamber areefliciently insulated against heat loss with respect to the exterior,while the two chambers themselves are adequately insulated with respectto each other.

In order to provide for a circulation of air bctwem the cooling chamberand the bottle chamber a small passage 34 provides communication betweenthe two chambers, while the opening of this passage on the bottlechamber side may be closed by a suitable cover 35 operated by a sylphondisc 36 or by other suitable thermostatically controlled means. Thetemperature of the disc 36 in the bottle chamber automatically controlsthe transfer of heat between the cooling chamber and the bottle chamber,it being understood that preferably the bottle beverage is alreadychilled at the time it is placed in the apparatus so that it is onlynecessary to maintain a temperature in the bottle chamber sufiicientlylow to keep the beverage at such temperature.

Of course various forms of cooling medium may be employed, such as anelectric cooling unit, or a receptacle for ordinary ice, or a receptaclefor dry ice. The illustration of the invention as disclosed herein showsthe cooing chamber adapted to receive a quantity of dry ice, but itshould be understood that this showing is merely for the purpose ofillustration.

The bottle chamber is divided by a number of vertical partitions 37extending from a point below the cooling chamber to a point just aboveplates 38, which plates slope downwardly toward the center of theapparatus and are supported upon the inner side walls 11a of the cabinetand at their rear edge upon the plate 29, while their forward edges 3understood that the casting 39 is secured upon the horizontal partition13.

A second pair of inclined plates 41 are arranged parallel to the plates38 and are'secured at their outer ends to the side walls 11 of thecabinet and at their inner ends to the casting 39, cork or othersuitable insulation being arranged between the plates 38 and 41.

The partitions 37 provide a series 'of vertically extending bottlereceiving chambers, while at the bottom of each of such chambers thereis arranged a bottle receiving member 42, semicylindrical in crosssection and of a longitudinal length such that a bottle may pass intothe member 42 through the open side thereof. The members 12 are eachpro- 'municated from each cylinder to its adja vided at their oppositeends with suitable heads 43 for rotatably supporting the members onbearings 44.

It should be noted that the members 42 being semicylindrical intransverse section will permit a bottle to pass through the open sidethereof and to be positioned therein so that the center line of thebottle coincides with the center line of the members42.

The heads 43 at one end of the members 42 each carry a gear 45 arrangedto mesh with idler gears 46, whereby rotation w ll be comcent cylinders.In assembling the cylinders in the apparatus the open sides of adjacentcylinders will be placed at 180 to one another, while theinterconnecting gears between the cylinders are so designed that thisrelationship will be maintained at all times during the operation of theapparatus.

In the center of the apparatus an opening 47 is provided through thehorizontal partition 13, and registers with the opening 40 in thecasting 39, these two openings being of such size as to receive onebottle and allow the sameto pass therethrough. The opening 47 is closedat its under side by an insulated door 48 which, in turn, is sealed by asuitable sealing strip 49. The door 48 is mounted on a shaft 50, bymeans of a suitable attaching bracket 51, the shaft 50 being journalledin suitable bearings carried by the partition 13 and having fixedthereon at its rear end a suitable crank 52 in turn connected to a lever53 carrying a roller 54 cooperating with a cam 55 fixed on a shaft L6.

The lower end of the lever 53 is bifurcated and straddles the shaft 56.The shaft 56 extends transversely of the apparatus at substantially themiddle thereof and terminates at the longitudinal center line, where ithas fixed upon its end a bevel gear 57 meshing with a bevel gear 58arranged upon a shaft 59 extending longitudinally of the apparatus alongthe center line thereof. The shaft 59 is driven by a suitable motor 60,it being understood that the rotor shaft of the motor is connected tothe shaft 59 by means of suitable gearing, whereby the shaft 69- willmake one revolution per cycle of operation of the apparatus.

There are three cams fixed on the shaft 59 to wit, the cams 61, 62 and63, while the rear end of the shaft 56 has fixed thereon a sprocket 64.The sprocket 64 is connected to a sprocket 65 by means of a chain 66, itbeing observed that the sprockets 64 and 65 are of such relative sizethat the sprocket 65 will turn one half as fast as the sprocket 64.

The sprocket 65 is fixed on a shaft 67 rotatably mounted in a bearingbracket 68 arranged on the partition 13 and in a bearing formed in theplate 29, the shaft 67 passing through an opening in the inner rear wall14 of the upper portion of the cabinet. A gear 69 is fixed on the shaft67 while the inner end of the shaft 67 carries a small gear 70 arrangedto mesh with the gear 45 carried by the head of the cylinder at theleftcenter of the apparatus (see Figs. 1 and 2). The gear 69 meshes with alarge gear 71 fixed on a stub shaft arranged parallel to the shaft 67,and

carrying at its inner end a second small gear meshing with the gear 45arranged on the head of the bottle receiving member 42 lo- 'cated at theright center of the apparatus.

It will be seen that since the gear 69 drives the gear 71., and thesegears being of the same size, the bottle receiving members on theopposite sides of the center of the apparatus will run in oppositedirections and at the same rate of rotation.

The cam 61 is arranged to cooperate with a roller 72 carried by lever 73pivoted at its rear end in a bracket supported by the partition plate13, as indicated at 74, and extending forwardly and transversely of theapparatus. The lever 73 has at its opposite end a swivel connection 75with a shaft 76 extending substantially longitudinally of the apparatus.

The shaft 76 is suitably and rotatably supported in brackets carried bythe partition 13, and has arranged thereon a quill 77 free to slideendwise of the shaft but rotatably connected therewithby a sliding key.The quill 77 is provided with a crank 78 in turn connected to a link 79which is pivotally connected to a lever 80 pivoted at its upper end tothe partition 13, as indicated at 81 in Figs.

the lower edge of the cap on the bottle to remove the same therefrom.

A shaft 86 extending parallel with the shaft 76' and below the same, isrotatably supported in a bracket 87 carried by the partition 13, whichshaft 86 has fixed thereto an arm 88 secured to the upper end of a chute89, The shaft 86 also carries a crank 90 connected by a link 91 to thelower end of a lever 92 pivoted at its upper end to the partition 13 asindicated at 93. A roller 94 is carried by the lever 92 intermediate itsends and is arranged to cooperate with'the cam 63.

A curved spring plate 95 is secured at its upper end to the supportingframe brackets carried by the partition 13 and serves as a guide for theend of the chute 89 and to exert a spring pressure upon the end of thebottle in the chute. The plate 95 is curved concentricallywith thecurved path 'of the end of the chute 89.

The operation of the mechanism so far described may be advantageouslyset forth at this time to clarify the description relating to this partof the apparatus and to make the purposes of the apparatus moreapparent.

It should be understood that the insertion of a coin or token in theslot provided for that purpose actuates a suitable time switch forstarting and stopping the operation of the motor 60. We have notillustrated the slot or the switch, since each of these elements isconventional in vending apparatus and to show the same herein would onlybe adding unnecessary detail to the disclosure. For the same reason, nomeans has been shown for returning a customers coin or token in case theapparatus is empty or out of order, since such means are common inapparatus of this character, but it should be understood that theemployment of a means of this nature with the apparatus is contemplated.I

Likewise, it will be well to state at this time that current for themotor 60 may be obtained from a commercial source of supply, if such isavailable, or if not available, suitable storage batteries may bearranged in the apparatus to supply the necessary current.

The customer having placed the necessary coin or token in the slot, themotor 60 starts to operate and a cup or container 96 is deposited from asuitable magazine, upon a support in a position to receive the contentsof a bottle. The container or cup magazine and the mechanism fordepositing 'a cup or container therefrom have not been shown since anyof the well known devices for this purpose now on the market may beused. The cabinet will include the necessary support for the cup orcontainer and will have provision in'its front side, whereby the cupwill be readily accessible to the customer, as is well understood inapparatus of this character.

The operation of the motor 60 revolves the shafts 59 and 56, therevolution of the latter shaft through the sprockets 64 and 65 and thechain 66 causin revolution of the shaft 67 and gears 69 and $0 carriedthereby.

The gear 70 meshing with the gear 45 associated with the bottlereceiving member 42 at the left center (Fig. 2) causes this mem-' ber torotate and through the idler gears 46 effects similar rotation of all ofthe members 42 on the left side of the apparatus. The gear 69 meshingwith the gear 71 drives the gear 45 associated with the member 42 at theright center (Fig. 2) and, in turn, through the idler gears 46 effectsrotation of all of the members 42 on the right side of the apparatus butin the opposite direction to those on the left side.

may roll out of the open side of the member into the space 40 in thecasting 39. The continued rotation of this member 42 positions the openside ofthe member at the top whereupon the bottle immediately above inthe bottle chamber and between the adjacent partitions 37 will pass intothe receiving member.

The adjacent bottle receiving members being positioned with their opensides 180 apart, the member 42 at the right center will have rotated toa position to discharge the bottle therefrom into the opening 40 in thecasting 39 provided the bottle first deposited therein has been disposedof.

In order that this phase of the operation of the apparatus maybeexplained in detail at this time it should be presumedthat the bottlesare being disposed of as rapidly as they are positioned in the opening40.

In the next cycle of operation the bottle in the member 42 at the rightcenter is deposited in the opening 40, while the member 42 at the leftcenter which has received a bottle from the stack is turning to thedischarge position. I

Each time a coin is deposited in the slot the apparatus functionsthrough one cycle and bottles will be deposited one by one in theopening 40 from the members 42 at the left center and right center,first one from the left center, then one from the right center, and soon until the center stacks of bottles are exhausted.

The operation of the apparatus through additional cycles necessitatestaking the bottles from the other stacks, since the two center stacksare now empty. The rotation of the member 42 at the left center exposesthe the member at the right center'is receiving a bottle from itsadjacent member and is discharging the same in the manner explained justabove with respect to the left center member.

It will be seen that the continued operation of the apparatus willeffect the discharge of all the bottles from all the stacks, as thebottles from one stack may pass into the member 42 below the nextpreceding stack. Since 1 both sides of the apparatus work in the sameway, the various stacks may be emptied and the entire stock sold, thedischargedbottles coming alternately from the left and righthand sidesof the apparatus.

and to pour to the operation of the. apparatus after the first bottlehas been deposited in the opening 40 and upon the door 48, it will beseen that the rotation of shaft 56 rotates cam 55, which cooperatingwith the roller 54 carried by the lever 53, forces said lever 53 andcrank 52 attached thereto in a direction such as to open the door 48 andagainst the tension of the spring 48a. The bottle in the opening 40 maythen slide out into the chute 89, the cap end of the bottle pointingdownwardly and outwardly. (See dotted line position of bottle in Fig.1.)

The rotation of the shaft 59 has now moved cam 63 to such position thatthe lever 92, through the roller 94 cooperating with the cam, is movedto rock the shaft 86 in a clockwisedirection (as viewed from the rightof Fig. 2) to tip the chute backwardly until the bottom of the bottlecontacts with the lower end of the spring plate 95. The spring 95 willpush the bottle, if a short one, into the proper position for decapping,but if the bottle is a long one it will push the neck of the bottleslightly beyond the decapping position.

The rotating cam 62 has now reached a position where the roller82 andlever 80 are moved thereby in a direction to rotate the shaft 76, bymeans of the quill 7 7 keyed thereto, in an anti-clockwise directionuntil the ledge 85 is below the lower edge of the cap.

A point has now been reached in the operative cycle where the cam 61,through its engagement with the roller 72, swings the lever 7 3 andforces the shaft 7 6 and decapper 83 to the right (as viewed in Fig. 2).movement of the decapper forces it over the capped end of the bottle,the pin 84 pressing the long bottle down against the action of thespring plate 95 to permit the decapper to reach the proper and ultimatedecapping position.

The cam 62 has now turned to a position to swing the lever 82 so as torock the quill 7 7 shaft 76, and decapper 83 in a clockwise direction todecap the bottle.

After a slight interval to permit escape of gas, if the liquid in thebottle is carbonated, the cam 63 again swings the lever 92 and rocks theshaft 86 in an anti-clockwise direction to tip the chute 89 to itsoriginal position the contents of the decapped bottle into the cup orcontainer 96, it being understood that the chute is provided withsuitable means to restrain the bottle from sliding out of the same whileits contents are being poured.

The customer may now withdraw the filled cup or container, while theoperative cycle is continued by the cam 63 again tipping the chute 89backwardly as in the movement just before the decapping operation. Itshould be noted, however, that this last tipping movement of the chuteis carried to a position Reverting This of the bottles where the lowerend of the bottlev is out of engagement with'the end. of the-springplate 95, so that the bottle is free to shde out of the chute and intothe empty bottle receptacle. The chute 89 is returned or tipped to thebottle receiving position beneath the door 48 by the cam 63 at thecommencement of the next cycle of operation.

In order to prevent the bottles from dropp ing directly into the emptybottle receptacle and being broken or chipped, they slide from the chute89 onto an inclined deck 98 arranged a short distance below the end ofthe chute when in bottle dischargingposition.

The deck 98 is inclined downwardly on both sides of a center peakwhereby the bottles discharged thereon are either the right or to theleft. A series of corrugated plates 99 are'arranged on each side of thedeck 98 and form. aplurality of slots. The bottles in rolling to eitherside of the deck will pass intothese slots while the corrugations willcause the plates to serve as bumpers and will check the fall of thebottles so that they will not hit the bottom wit sufficient force tobreak them. As' soon as a slot has been filled with empty bottles, thelast bottle in the slotwill cause the next bottle rolling oif the deck98 to roll over it and into the next slot and so on until all of thebottles have been emptied and discharged. Of course, the empty bottlereceptacle will be designed toreceive the same number of bottles as doesthe full bottle chamber.

In Fig. 6 a slightly modified form of means for breaking the fall of theempty bottles is illustrated. This ing deck 100, plates 101, and anglebrackets free to roll to form comprising the slop- 102 secured to theplates to serve as bumpers Although not shown herein, a receptacle.

for receiving the caps removed from the bottles would preferably beprovided, as

would also some provision for catching the liquid poured from thebottles in the event that the cup or container was not properlyositioned.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosedherein, it should be understood that the invention is susceptible'ofvarious modifications and adaptations within the scope of the appendedclaims.

Having thus'described our invention, we claim: 7

1. A vending appar tus comprising means adapted to contain a pluralityof capped bottles filled with liquid, and means automatically operableupon the insertion into the apparatus of a suitable medium, such as acoin, token, or the like, for decapping one and, emptying the contentsthereof into a suitable container.

2. A vending apparatus comprising means adapted to contain a pluralityof capped adapted to contain bottles filled with liquid, meansautomatically operable each time a suitable medium, such asa coin,token, or the like, is inserted into the'apparatus to decap a bottle ina substantially upright position, and automatic means to tilt thedecapped bottle and to pour the contents thereof into a suitablecontainer.

3. A vending apparatus comprising means a plurality of capped bottlesfilled with liquid, means automatically operable each time a suitablemedium, such as a coin, token, or the like, is inserted into theapparatus to decap one of the bottles in a substantially uprightposition, and automatic means to tilt the decapped bottle and to pourthe contents thereof into a suitable container and to discharge saidbottle when empty into a portion of the apparatus arranged for thatpurpose.

4. A vending apparatus comprising a cooling chamber, a filled bottlechamber adapted to contain a plurality of capped bottles filled withliquid, thermostatically controlled means for effecting communicationbetween said cooling chamber and said bottle chamber, meansautomatically operable each time a suitable medium, such as a coin,token, or the like, is inserted into the apparatus to decap one of thebottles, and automatic means to pour the contents of said decappedbottle into a suitable container adapted to be received by a customerand to discharge said bottle when empty into a portion of the apparatusarranged for that purpose.

5. In a vending apparatus, a chamber adapted to contain a plurality ofcapped bottles,'mechanism for removing the bottles successively from'said chamber, means for receiving each bottle as it is removed fromsaid chamber and arranged for movement so as to position the bottle soreceived in either a tiltedpouring position or in a substantiallyupright position, a decapping device, and means operable automaticallyupon the insertion of a suitable medium, such as a coin, token, or thelike, in the apparatus for operating said mechanism, said first namedmeans, and said decapping device to sequcntially remove a bottle fromsaid chamber, position'said bottle in substantially an upright position,decap the bottle, tilt the same to pouring position, and then again movethe bottle to an upright position.

6. In a vending apparatus, a chamber adapted to contain a plurality ofsubstantially horizontally arranged capped bottles, means automaticallyoperable upon the operation of the apparatus to remove one of thebottles from said chamber and to position the same substantiallyupright, means for automatically decapping said substantially uprightbottle, means for automatically tilting said decapped bottle to adownwardly inclined position to discharge the contents thereof, andautomatic means for then returning the empty bottle to a substantiallyupright position and discharging the same into an empty bottlereceptacle.

7. A vending apparatus comprising means automatically operable to decapa substantially upright bottle upon the insertion into the apparatus ofa suitable medium, such as a coin, token, or the like, and means auto-,matically operable to tilt said bottleafter being decapped to adownwardly inclined position to pour the contents thereof into asuitable container.

8. A vending apparatus comprising means automatically operable to decapa substantially upright bottle upon the insertion in the apparatus of asuitable medium, such as a coin, token, or the like, and meansautomatically operable to tilt said bottle after it has been decapped toa downwardly in- 'clined position to pour the contents thereof into asuitable container and to discharge said bottle when empty into aportion of the apparatus arranged for that purpose.

'In testimony our signatures.

CARL W. 'BLossoM. WILLIAM H. STAPLES. I

whereof, we hereuntoaflix

